A Nation of Plinkers

By Jeff Johnston, AH Managing Editor

Plink, plink, plink plink, plink. The sound soothes good folks' ears even if muffled by foam plugs. It's the sound of everything we know to be good.

Plink, plink, plink, plink plink, plink. It's the sound of fun on a Sunday after church. Most of us will never compete in the Olympics, but then again plinking isn't an official sport yet. Show us a Winchester 61 or a Ruger Mk II and a good backstop and we'll go for gold until dark or the bottom of the 550-round carton of .22s shows cardboard. Nobody's keepin' score—unless you count friendly wagers on the trickiest shot—and you won't hear any sappy Bob Costas commentary save for the satisfying plink plink, plink plink of lead on aluminum can, lead on plastic and lead on whatever else needs pluggin'. "See that piece of clay pigeon way over there?" Plink. Not anymore!

Plink plink, thud thud, plink is the sound of mostly good shooting. And it's more than merely for giggles. It's fun with a purpose; it's the sound of a good hunter getting better; it's the glorious, ringing sound of success. In contrast, misses are hardly audible, forgotten the instant they thud into dirt. But they are helpful to the astute shooter for aim corrections—and for hearing more gratifying plinks!

Plink plink plink is the sound of freedom. Think the average North Korean can walk out onto his back yard or go to the local Izaak Walton League and send a hundred bullets into an old Coors can as fast as he can pull the trigger? Highly doubtful. Fact is, one reason why our soldiers routinely whip our enemies is because they grow up plinkin'.

Plink plink plink; pause; plink plink plink. Unlike the deer stand we love but occasionally becomes boring and cold, it's mostly all action out here on the sunny plinking field, where the only lulls come when resetting pummeled targets and reloading. Paper targets and a benchrest? Great for zeroing a rifle—and for sapping all the fun out of an otherwise peachy endeavor. Stand up, quit trying to be perfect and just plink. If you miss, you didn't miss by plinkin' much!

Plink plink, plink plink plink "That's how you do it, boy!" Plink plink. It's the sound of our girls and boys learning the fundamentals of shooting and the lessons necessary to become responsible adults and productive Americans. It's learning that even though it only goes plink, it can have permanent consequences.

Plink plink plink, click. It's the alarming sound of running out of ammo. If you don't have more, it's the sound of a gun about to be cleaned and put away until you can go plinkin' again. Remember your New Year's resolution? If it wasn't to plink more this year, it should have been, because plinking is good for your health. So plink away, NRA members, for July is prime plinkin' time, and best of all, everyday is the opener.

Did You Know?

Set up active decoys where you don't want geese to land. Use sleeping and resting decoys to signal the area has been checked out and it's safe enough to drop in and nap.

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1/2 Mile

The drumming of a male ruffed grouse can be heard up to a half-mile away.

12

Number of grouse species to pursue come fall, including sage and spruce, willow ptarmigan and the lesser and greater prairie chicken.

20

Number of grouse species to pursue come fall, including sage and spruce, willow ptarmigan and the lesser and greater prairie chicken.

No. 1

Minnesota ranks No. 1 in ruffed grouse production

115,000

Number of Minnesota grouse hunters on average

545,000

Number of grouse taken in Minnesota on average

fast fact

Researcher Laura Boester at the University of Toledo found that fox squirrels hear over a noise-frequency range roughly 2.5 times greater than humans, with more capability to detect higher-frequency sounds.